Flying High, Falling Hard
by peacegal45
Summary: Jace is kiddnapped by The School after his entire family dies, and they give him wings. Will he be able to hold himself together long enough to excape with his newfound friend?
1. Chapter 1

**Mmkay, so this is my first fanfic. Ever. So, so sorry if it sucks. But please, read and review? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the School. Or the idea of birdkids. But I own everything else (:**

_Drug overdose. _

_Heart failure._

_Last family member._

_Dead. _

I hear these horrifying words floating through my head as they rush to try to save my dad. Their attempts are fruitless. He's dead. He was the last person in my family, last one there for me. I sit in the waiting room as they try one last time to fix him, fix their unfixable mistake. They killed my dad, can I forgive them?

I'm pulled back to the present by a girl's voice calling my name. "Jace!" I turn around, and there stands Bree. My best friend for as long as I can count. We were neighbors when we were 3, and had been friends ever since. I walk over to her, and she reaches out, embracing me. "Oh, God, Jace I'm so sorry!" she murmurs as I cling to her, letting the tears run down my face.

"What am I going to do?" I whisper. I was the last person standing in my family. My mom had died in a freak accident at her lab a year ago; and Juliet, my older sister, died just 5 months ago in a car crash. Now my dad was dead and I had nowhere to turn.

"Jace, you're going to be fine. Just relax." she said into my hair. I pulled her closer to me, surrounded by her sweet rose aroma. She had smelled like roses ever since we were children, playing in the sandbox together.

"Bree, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back soon." I wiped the tears from my eyes and walked out the front door, toward the park near the hospital. I sat down on a swing, softly pumping my feet back and forth. I remember the last time I saw my sister. She came for a visit from college. We went to some park, and competed to see how high each of us could swing. She won, of course. That's how I remember her, flying free and happy. I dragged my feet along the ground. And that's when I heard it. Quiet footsteps behind me. Quickly, I turned around and saw a tall, lanky man in a white coat, holding a baseball bat. Then, he swung the bat and hit me in the head. "Oww.." I murmur before watching the world slip from focus and go black.

**Yea, ok, wasn't too painful? I hope not. Go review while I type up another chapter. Pleaseeee?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okayy so I'm baack (: Thanks for all the nice reviews, btw. They really make my freaking day, when I'm usually depressed. So that means REVIEW. Finished up this chapter at Grandma's and Papa's house, watching Elf. Like you care. Ok, this chapter's longer. I hope you like ittt**

I woke up, and everything was blurry and dark. I rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out where I was exactly. The only thing I remembered was getting hit with a baseball bat, and some sort of searing pain in my back. Which is still there.

"Oh, good, you're awake," says a voice from somewhere behind me. I try to turn around and find that I'm in a cage. When I finally figure out how to turn around, I see a girl in a cage, kinda like me. She looks about my age, with long, curly brown hair and big, beautiful blue eyes. She was wearing a large, white t-shirt and jeans, which were both ripped in multiple places. I couldn't tell how tall she was, since she was in a cage like me, but she looked to be taller than me.

"W…where am I?" I stuttered, looking toward the girl.

"The School," she said simply.

"Why am I at school?" I stupidly ask.

"Not school._ The_ School. It's a nice faculty, no?"

"Um, what am I doing here?"

"Well, feel your back. That will tell you." She pointed at my back as she said this, so I decided to follow along with her silly games. Slowly, I rubbed a hand along my sore back. It was silky, almost….feathery. I grab at my back and, bringing my hand in front of my face, I find one black feather.

"What!" I exclaimed, dropping it suddenly.

"They gave you wings. Like me," she said, moving a bit in the cage. Then, suddenly, I see them. Long, light brown wings were sprouting from her back, the same color as her hair.

"The School is a lab. They basically experiment on people, usually horrible, painful experiments. I'd say you and I lucked out, but a lot of people die soon after the wings are put on. I'm probably the longest lasting experiment of theirs," she murmured. I stared at her with my mouth open. Could she actually be telling the truth? Should I believe her? She seemed quite crazy, along with the fact she was so casual about having freaking WINGS. Or maybe this was just a dream, and I had to wake up.

The only question I could think of popped out of my mouth. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, 2 years or so?" she said, staring off into the distance like she was thinking. Then the door to the room we were in started to rattle. "Oh, God, you can't deal with this yet. Act like you're still out cold!" she whispered. I closed my eyes right as the door opened.

A harsh voice rang out from the direction of the door. "Ready, Piper?" it snarled.

"What would you do if I said no?" the girl said, as if she did this every day.

"This," the voice said, and then I heard a loud cracking sound. Then, the sound of a cage unlocking and Piper being dragged out of it. When the door slammed, I cracked open my eyes to see if the coast was clear. Then, I sat up as well as I could in the cage, and started to think. About everything; what had happened to my dad, about what the girl just told me, and what had happened to _me_. I now had wings, for Christ's sake. It had been a while when the door finally creaked open. I laid my head against the cold metal side of the cage and closed my eyes. When the door was slammed shut again, I looked over to the girl's cage. She was lying there, curled up in a ball. Her face had a huge gash down the side, and it was bleeding profusely.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, all thoughts of my dad leaving my head. This girl probably knew everything about wherever I was, and I needed her to help me get used to it. She grumbled, and turned over so her face was facing me.

"Does it_ look_ like I'm okay?" she growled, clearly angry.

"God, I'm sorry for being concerned," I snapped back.

"Well, for your information, this type of thing happens every day here. So you better have a great tolerance for pain, or gain one quick," she said, finally sitting up. She rubbed the large cut on her face and her hand came back, crimson red. "Apparently they don't have the decency to patch me up," she muttered, ripping a piece of fabric from her t-shirt and holding it to her wound.

"What….what did they do to you?" I asked, still concerned, even though she acted like it was no big deal.

"Oh, they were just testing my endurance. Again. They usually do that two or three times a week."

"And what does that entail exactly?"

"Oh, just running on a treadmill until I collapse. Nothing new." I stared at her in shock. She acted like this abuse was no big deal. "What?" she said when I wouldn't look away.

"Nothing," I said, looking up at the ceiling.

There was a long silence, and then she broke it with a question. "Do you want to hear how I got here?" I heard her murmur, and then saw her big, blue eyes staring at me.

"Sure."

**Mmm, now I have to figure out Piper's story. Lovely. Review pleasee (: **


	3. Chapter 3

**Holaz, I'm back. Cuz _someone_ was nagging me all day today. So yea, it's kinda short, cuz I dont have much time. But I hope you like Piper's story. She has to be my favorite character, for sure (: **

**Disclaimer: Yea, I don't own Maximum Ride, or Angel would be out by now**

Piper seemed to pause, looking up at the ceiling, and then looked back at me.

"It was a beautiful, clear day. Me and my best friend, Todd, were sitting on the banks of some lake near our house. He was really upset, I don't really remember why, but he was. To cheer him up, I guess, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close." She slowed down and looked toward the wall, like it would help her remember.

"He decided to kiss me. Just a short, sweet kiss, but it made me cry for some stupid reason. If I didn't cry, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Piper, I'm sure it wasn't your fault," I murmured, wishing I could reach out and put a hand on her arm.

"But it was, you don't understand. The whitecoat, he came up behind me. Todd's eyes had become wider, but I didn't notice. Soon, the whitecoat's hand was around his throat, and I watched as the air left his lungs. Soon, I felt dizzy. A tranquilizer dart stuck out of my hip, and I quietly fell into a deep sleep."

I didn't like where this was going. Neither did Piper, for her face was streaked with tears. "Piper, you don't have to tell me," I whispered. I didn't want to cause her any more pain.

"But you don't understand. I haven't told anyone, and if I don't get it off my chest, I'll explode!" I nodded and let her start the story again.

"When I woke up, I saw Todd unconscious and pale in a cage. I felt excruciating pain on my back, and finally found out I had wings. Wondering why Todd didn't have them, I tried pushing my cage closer. I soon learned to do nothing of the sort. Another vicious whitecoat came and…" She looked down at her hands. "They beat me unconscious. I woke up in a puddle of blood, and my hair was cut. There were scrapes everywhere on my body, and I felt like pudding. It took me a while to notice Todd was gone."

"Gone?" I whimpered.

"They brought him back soon, and he also had wings. When he woke up, he couldn't speak. I tried to calm him down, but he was panicking. Soon, another whitecoat came in and took him away. That was the last time I ever saw him." At that last sentence, Piper's beautiful voice cracked.

"God, I feel like it was my fault. I saw so many kids come through this place, and they all died. None of them knew me. I was silent, not helping them at all. I just couldn't get over the pain. It was a stupid plan, I should've known. All of my plans are stupid and selfish. Expecially my plan to cheer Todd up at the lake. It cost him his life."

I stared at her, speechless. She seemed as if she loved him, and I know she viewed this whole event as her fault.

"I loved that boy. He was the only one I ever loved. And you know why I'm telling you this? You remind me of him. You look like him, act like him. And it hurts. Really, truly hurts."

"I'm so sorry," I murmured, not knowing what else to say.

"I've had my best friend torn away from me and I've been abused for the past two years of my life, and you know what? I've never heard those words uttered. Ever," she whispered, and I could see the tears still streaming from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, and I saw her wipe tears from her eyes. "I kinda just fell apart on you. I'm a horrible person, just say it."

"You are not a horrible person, sometimes you just need to…vent." Or explode, but I wasn't going to tell her that. She had enough on her mind.

"You never told me your name," she said, her voice back to normal.

"Jace."

"That's pretty. You know, Jace means moon?" she mumbled, looking out the small window at the top of the room, which was covered with bars. The moon was actually shining bright, giving just a hint of glow on her rosy cheeks.

"No, actually, I didn't."

"Come closer, would you?" she said, scooting as close to me as she could in her cage. I moved closer, as far as I could, and she reached out a hand and took mine.

"Thank you, Jace. For everything." she murmured, and then her breathing grew heavy. She was asleep, and still holding on to my hand. Leaving me alone with all these random thoughts, and confused about everything. Soon enough, my tired brain gave up and I fell into a restless sleep.

**Hope y'all liked it. Review and you get, uh, chocolate. (: **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, I'm back. People who pestered me, you know who you are. Be happy that this is posted. And review, for God's sake, I really feel like no one likes it. And what's the point of typing a story if no one likes it? Just wondering. Okayy Disclamer: I don't own Maximum Ride. Not even close.**

Awoken by the whisper of my name in my ear, I looked around, quite startled. "W…wha?" I said, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Shush, I just wanted to tell you a bit about the whitecoats before they took you away today," Piper said.

"Fine, what?" I muttered, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"First, don't….retort to them. They don't like it."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"Because I've been around here for two years, and I'm tired of them. But you don't do it just yet. They might just kill you for the fun of it."

"Well, that's a pleasant thought."

"And, don't refuse anything they do to you. They'll just knock you out and do it to you while you're unconscious, which just gives you worse side affects. They usually start the kid with a medicine test, whatever they're working on currently, and you probably won't be any different."

I stared at her, speechless. These guys sounded like heartless creeps. But, I had anticipated that, right? Just the story from yesterday and what I heard them do to Piper was horrible enough.

"And Jace? Promise you won't do anything stupid. Please," Piper whispered, a glint of sadness in her grey eyes. She reached out and stroked my cheek, then said, "Get ready." And then, the door slammed open.

"Hello, new bird kid," the whitecoat crooned. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I murmured under my breath as the guy unlocked my cage and pulled me out roughly. He dragged my sorry butt into a cold, white room smelling of medicine.

"Wait here," the whitecoat said, walking out of the room. Like I could go anywhere else, I thought. I heard the lock click shut, and sighed, leaning my head against the cold, white wall. It felt good to be out of a cage, and I let my wings stretch as far as they could. Soon, another whitecoat walked in, and smiled slyly.

"Trying out your wings, now are we?" the guy snarled. He was holding some sort of shot in his hand, and a wave of fear hit me. What was he going to inject in me? He saw my fear, and said, "This will only hurt…a lot." With a wicked smile on his face, he came over and stabbed the thing into my arm. He wasn't joking about the pain. It shot up my arm and made me wince, which made the guy smile even more. "Ready to go back to your cage, little birdie?" the man whispered, grabbing me by the shirt collar and dragging me out of the room. He dragged me so roughly, I blacked out on the way there.

When I woke up, I felt horrible. Barely able to move my head, I turned it a bit and saw Piper's eyes fall onto me. "You're awake!" she exclaimed, smiling.

"Yeah," I muttered. My head hurt almost unbearably, and I felt queasy. "What'd they inject me with?" I asked, hoping Piper would know.

"I have no clue, but it knocked you out for a while," she said, her voice going back to a whisper. I guessed that was a custom at the School. Wouldn't want the whitecoats to know we were talking. I laid my head down on the side of the cage again, and looked back at her. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Everything," I choked out, and then tears started to stream down my face. I thought about everything that had happened recently, especially my dad's death, and it hurt. She looked horrified, and I knew she had no clue what to do. I felt so weak and stupid, knowing she had been through a lot more than me, but I thought I deserved to cry a bit. "Piper, I'm sorry. It's just…my dad." Wiping away my tears, I looked back at her and she had a caring look on her face.

"Jace, what happened?" she whispered in a soft tone. Looking into her eyes, I could tell she cared, but I didn't really want to go into details. Then, I thought about the story she had told me earlier. All the pain in her life, she told me about. She trusted me, and the least I could do was tell her what happened.

"My dad…he died in the hospital. Not an hour before these…people kidnapped me. Now I'm totally alone in my life, and I'm stuck here in this hellhole. I don't know what to do, Piper."

"Oh, God, I had no clue! Jace, why didn't you tell me before?"

"I was trying to be strong," I murmured, averting her eyes.

"Jace, everyone needs to cry sometimes." Never would I know how true her words would prove to be.

**Review, please. It would make me extremly happy :D Hope you liked it! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Heh, I'm back (: This one's a lot longer then regular chapters. I loved writing it, and I hope you guys like it. Disclamer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride. Get it?**

I cried some more, and then some whitecoats banged the door open.

"Crying, are we?" one hissed. He walked over to Piper's cage and dragged her out of it.

"No!" I called as they pulled her out the door. I could see the sadness in her eyes, but I could do nothing. I sat helplessly in my own cage, watching her being dragged away. That just made my tears fall faster. Then, I heard a scream. A horrible, heartbreaking scream. I knew it was from Piper, no question about it. I knew I had to do something, so I did a stupid thing: tried reaching my hand through the bars of my cage, toward the latch. Thinking for sure it wouldn't work, I was extremely surprised when it did. My hand seemed to shrink so I could reach through and undo the latch. I shook it off, thinking I was going crazy. I was just glad to be out.

Quietly, I walked out of the room where the cages were kept to a long white hallway. Another piercing scream rang out, and I ran toward it. Finding myself at a brown door, I opened it and saw the same two whitecoats that had come to our room and Piper. She was strapped to a table, and they were both blocking most of her body from my view, so I had no clue what was happening. They turned around as soon as I opened the door, so I ran straight at them. I jumped up and kicked one in the stomach, and the other one ran out the open door.

"Piper," I whispered, not even wondering where the other whitecoat went. Walking toward her, I saw a long cut down her neck. I ran from there, unhooking her from the table.

"We have to get out of here," she muttered, rubbing at her raw wrists. "That guy went to get backup. What's your plan?"

"I…have no plan," I murmured, embarrassed.

"Then we run," she said, grabbing my hand. We ran through mazes of hallways till we got to a door.

"This will lead outside. Think you can fly?" Piper asked, looking into my eyes.

"I guess," I said, and she kicked open the door.

"Up, up, and away!" she screamed as soon as we were outside. Flapping her wings, she started to rise into the air, and I was left on the ground. "Come on!" she called as she got higher. I stretched out my wings and flapped. As I followed her through the sky, I heard the whitecoats screaming at us from the ground. But, we never looked back. We were finally free, and when I caught up with Piper, she had a huge smile on her face. "Thank you, Jace," she said, looking over at me. And then she dropped from the sky.

"Piper!" I called, and dove down to catch her. I grabbed her, clutched her to my chest, and landed on the ground. I decided to hide under a large willow tree. It seemed like I had landed in a park, which was good. We weren't trespassing anywhere. I laid her down on the ground and brushed her bangs from her eyes. "Piper, are you okay?" I whispered as she sat up.

"Yeah," she said weakly. "I don't know what happened,"

"Well, you're fine now. I'll keep you safe." I stood up and started to pace. "What should we do?"

"You're asking the girl who just dropped out of the sky?" she said sarcastically, rubbing her head. "I'd hope your brain's functioning better than mine."

"I'm gonna go look around," I mutter, turning and walking down a random path. The sun was just starting to set on the warm summer day, and the sky looked beautiful. After a few minutes, I realized something. I had been to this place before. It was a small park near Bree's house. Bree! We could go to her house! Running back to Piper with the good news, I knew something had gone wrong when I got back to our clearing. She had pulled her knees to her chest, and it looked like she was crying into her hands. I rushed over to her and wrapped my arms delicately around her shaking body. Forgetting all about Bree, I sat there until she had almost stopped crying.

"Piper, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Everything," she whispered, just as I had when she asked the same question of me. Only, we were in cages then, but now we were free. I couldn't understand what was wrong.

"Jace, my whole life has been messed up. Every little bit had something wrong with it. When I was finally starting to get better, to get happy, they took me away. Tortured me for no reason. The pain, Jace, is overwhelming. I never fit in, but now I'm a freak. No one's ever going to be my friend. No one's ever going to love…" She stopped because I had pressed my lips against hers. My arms found their place, around her waist, while hers snaked around my neck. She pulled me closer, and I lost myself.

When we broke apart, she pushed her head into my neck. Soon, I felt warm tears streaming down my neck. "Piper," I whispered softly. "Piper, it's going to be okay." I started to stroke her hair, and soon she calmed down and her head popped back into my view. There was a small smile on her face, and I smiled back.

"Thanks," she whispered. "I think I needed that." Then, she leaned her head back to rest on the tree trunk. I did the same, and soon her head fell onto my shoulder. I had one arm still wrapped around her waist, and I pulled her closer. We silently watched the sun set, and when the moonlight started to shine, she turned back to me. Laying a sweet kiss on my lips, she relaxed and curled up in my arms. Soon, she was asleep. I listened to her breathing for a while, trying to get my thoughts organized. In the morning, I would tell Piper about Bree, and we could start our journey to her house. It wouldn't take long, and that was good. I fell asleep with my head against the tree trunk, still holding Piper in my arms.

"Jace," I heard, and then felt a kiss on my cheek. "Jace, wake up." I opened my eyes, and saw Piper smiling, her face close to mine. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she said. I let her crawl out of my arms, and she asked, "So, what's our plan?" I told her that I had a friend in the area, and she nodded. "We can stay there for a while, regroup. Lead the way, Jace."

"Of course. But Piper, can I ask you a question? What happened in that room, with those whitecoats, before we escaped?"

I saw her wince at the question. Tears formed in her eyes, and she shook her head.

"Jace, I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Okay," I said, walking toward her. I wrapped my arms around her again and kissed the long, deep cut on her neck. I knew whatever the whitecoats did was still hurting her. "Tell me when you're ready."

"Thank you, Jace," she said, turning around and getting ready to fly. Then, she crumpled to the ground.

Shocked, I looked around and saw three whitecoats behind her, wide smiles on their faces. They were a few feet out, and all of them had guns. When I looked down at Piper, she was lying in a pool of crimson. In two seconds, literally, I was face to face with them. They looked at me in amazement, and I had no clue what was wrong. Then, I figured it out: I had moved extremely fast. Could it be a side affect from the medicine they injected into me, or just a trick of the light? I had no clue, but I kicked the closest whitecoat in the face. He fell to the ground, and I smiled at the other two. They ran away, and I was left with an injured Piper. I decided to fly her to Bree's house. I was sure Bree could do something for her. Then, I felt a stabbing pain in the back of my leg. Turning around, I saw the injured whitecoat holding his gun up with a weak arm. Letting it drop to the ground, he croaked, "My job is done."

I looked down at my leg, and saw the damage. Blood was staining my jeans, and I had nothing to stop it. Scooping Piper into my arms, I flew off toward Bree's house.

It only took fifteen minutes to get to Bree's driveway. I stumbled up and rang her doorbell. Black spots were dancing in my eyes, and I fell to my knees as she opened the door.

"Jace?" she said, amazed. "What's…who's that? Why is she covered in blood? Wait, Jace, are you okay?"

"No…" I choked out. "Bree, the School…they're after us." Then, I blacked out, falling at her feet.

When I woke up again, I was laying on a couch, my head in someone's lap. I felt that person stroking my hair, and looked up. I saw Bree's face looking down, and watched as a small smile danced across her face. "You're awake," she murmured, and helped me sit up.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, reaching down to touch my leg. There was a bandage wrapped around the bullet hole, so I felt okay about standing up.

"Two hours," she replied. "Let's go to my room. We don't want to disturb the girl," she said, gesturing at Piper's limp body lying on the other couch.

"Piper! Is she going to be okay?" I asked, panic filling my body.

"Of course, I just bandaged up the bullet wounds. There was one on her leg, one right under her heart, and one on her…"

"Wing," I mutter. I wouldn't expect Bree to understand.

"Yes, wing. I think I deserve an explanation. You show up on my porch with an unconscious bird girl in your arms, and then you collapse. What the hell happened to you two?"

"I'll tell you in you're bedroom, Piper does need rest," I murmur, taking one more look at Piper and then following her down the hallway. I knew my way around this house, but I felt better following Bree. This house had been my second home for as long as I could remember.

"Explain. Now," she said, sitting down on her bed when we arrived in her room.

"Wait, where are your parents?" I asked. Her house had been decidedly parent-free, and I was starting to wonder why.

"They're away on a cruise. So you can say anything you need to," she said, patting the spot on the bed next to her. "Come on, I want to hear what happened.

"I…" I started, not knowing how to say it. But soon, I had launched into a full explanation, sans kissing Piper, after I sat down on her bed next to her. When I had finished, her eyes were wide.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. We've been through a lot. So," I stopped speaking as she pulled me closer to her.

"Jace, stop talking." Then, she placed her lips on mine. I was so surprised, I didn't fight back. I knew it was wrong, and it didn't feel right, but I couldn't do anything. When we pulled apart, she had a smile on her face. It slowly faded as she turned to face the door. When I did the same, I saw why. Piper was standing at the doorway, her mouth open in shock.

"Piper," I said, surprised she could even walk. She had lost a lot of blood, and she looked weak. But now I was just wondering what to say to her. I had no clue how to explain it, what I had done was uncalled for.

"Don't!" she said, running back down the hallway. Tears formed in my eyes, and I looked back at Bree.

"I'm going after her, no matter what you say," I said, standing up and running back down the hall. I saw the front door slam shut, and heard a sob. I quietly walked out and saw her take off into the night sky. With a shudder, I sat down on the porch swing. I couldn't fly after her, because I couldn't see her. Then, the front door opened again.

"Jace?" I heard, and watched as Bree, pale as a ghost, as she walked out and sat down next to me. "God, I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that girl was your girlfriend, I swear," she murmured. She looked embarrassed, and she should've been. I didn't know if Piper was ever coming back to me. Tears were falling from my eyes now, and she wrapped my arms around me.

"Jace, I'm sorry. Please forgive me," she murmured, looking into my eyes.

"I can't stay mad at you, Bree. But, if she doesn't come back, I don't know what to do,"

"Are you going to sleep out here tonight, waiting for her? If you are, I'll have to go inside. She probably won't come back if I'm here,"

"Yeah, good idea," I said as Bree got up. "Good night, Bree."

"Good night, Jace. I'm really sorry," she said, and then she disappeared inside. Feeling more alone than ever, I curled up on the swing and got ready for what I thought would be a long, lonely night.

**Cliffhanger, I guess. Bahaha (: Review, please. Thank youuuuu for reading it. 3 I love you guys. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm baack. Here's more story, I don't have much to say. Disclaimer: Still don't own Maximum Ride. :(**

Sitting in the dark, I watched the sky. For hours on end, I waited for her to come back. I know I had broken her heart, but if she wasn't going to come back, she would break mine. After about an hour or two of waiting, I decided to go look for her.

After flying through the small park we had stayed in for a night, I decided to walk through Bree's neighborhood. The streets were somewhat dark, and I was starting to wonder why they never thought of putting streetlights in. Then, I bumped into someone. Falling to the ground, I started to get up and felt a hand on my shoulder. "Jace?" a whisper said, coming out of the darkness.

Smiling, I said back, "Yes, Piper." I felt her arms wrap around my neck. I smiled at her, finding her face and holding it in my hands. "Where were you?"

"Looking for you," she murmured back, pulling me closer.

"Piper, I want to say sorry," I said, laying my forehead on hers and finally being able to see the hurt in my eyes.

"I should be saying sorry, I should've known you had a girlfriend back home." I saw a lone tear fall down her cheek as she said those words.

"I don't though, Piper. I don't know what me and Bree are, but I want whatever we had last night." Piper pulled away, and then pushed her head into my chest. I felt tears staining my shirt, and every one was like a dagger to my heart. I did this to her, and I needed to fix it.

"Piper, look at me," I whispered, stroking her hair. When she looked up at my face, I could still see tears in her eyes. "Baby, I love you. No one else, I swear. I want you, and it's killing me to see you cry. Please, Piper, stop crying."

Piper, looking into my eyes, whispered, "I want to trust you, Jace, I do. But my head won't let me. I've been betrayed, destroyed, by so many people. And it hurts to be betrayed by you. Jace, I don't know what to do!" She screamed the last words into the night sky, and I pulled her back toward me.

"Piper, I don't care what you decide to do, as long as you're happy. Just, remember me if you go fly off somewhere, would you?" Piper laid her head down on my shoulder, and I started to absentmindedly stroke her hair again.

"Jace," she whispered after a while, "you really do care. More than anyone else, and that means a lot to me." She looked back up at me, and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She touched her lips to mine, and I smiled slightly.

"Piper," I murmured when we broke apart. She fell back into my arms, crying again, and I still felt horrible for doing this to her. She had so much sadness in her life, and I had just added to it.

"Jace, shut up. Not even you can do anything now. Let's go back to Bree's house." I stared at her in amazement. I thought she was getting better, but apparently not.

"You sure?" I asked, wary of her idea. I didn't really need them in a fight right now, I already felt horrible enough.

"Yeah, I don't feel that good. Her house is a safe haven for now." Piper looked back up at me and I pressed my lips to her forehead.

"I'm so, so sorry," I whispered into her hair, and then stood up, her hand in mine. She almost fell over before I steadied her, and I looked into her eyes. "You sure you're okay?" I said, concerned.

"I don't know," she said shakily, and I walked her all the way home, my arm around her small waist.

When we got back to Bree's house, Bree was curled up on her couch. "Oh my God! Is she okay?" Bree said, jumping up and rushing over to us.

"I don't know. Let's just get her into a bed," I whispered, looking back at Piper. She was starting to look very pale. She tried to smile at me, but it looked more like a grimace. Bree took us to the guest room in the back of her house, and we laid Piper down on the bed. "Piper, are you okay?" I asked as Bree left the room. Wrapping my arms around Piper, I wondered if she was just drained from the day or something was physically wrong with her.

Sighing, she set her head down on my shoulder and said, "I truly don't know anymore." I felt so horrible, watching her as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Piper, I'm here for you. Just…I need to know what you're thinking," I said quietly after a bit of silence.

"I don't deserve to live," she whispered in my ear. My eyes widened, and I pulled her closer to me.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, now majorly concerned.

"I have nothing to live for now. I have no clue where my family is, and if they would even want a freak like me. I feel so…horrible and torn apart and worthless. No one cares about me anymore, and I don't need to burden you. Just, if I die, you'll be free to live with Bree."

"Why would you think that? I need you," I murmured. I was horrified that she was thinking things like that, and the tears streaming down her face made me shake. "Piper, I love you. Please don't do anything crazy." I was crying now too, and she looked up at me.

"Jace," she whispered, reaching her hand up to wipe away my tears. "Don't cry. I wasn't planning on doing anything. I just feel horrible right now." She laid her head down on the pillow behind me. "Good night, Jace," she whispered. She sounded exhausted, and I was worried.

"Okay, get some sleep," I whispered, taking the other pillow and a blanket off the bed.

"Jace, where are you going?" she asked, hurt creeping into her eyes again.

"I was gonna sleep on the ground, so I don't disturb you or anything," I said.

"But I want you next to me. Is that too much to ask?" she said weakly.

"Oh…of course not," I said, a smile creeping onto my face. I crawled into the bed next to her, and wrapped my arms around her waist. She smiled and put her head into my chest and we fell asleep like that, peaceful and innocent.

When I woke up, I was alone. Piper wasn't next to me. Stumbling out of bed and down the hall, I found Bree sitting at her kitchen table.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Bree said, flipping through a magazine.

"Hey, where's Piper?" I asked quietly, hoping she was still here.

"She just left, she said she was going to the bridge," Bree said, and my eyes went wide. "Wait, Jace, what's wrong?" she said, getting up and putting a hand on my shoulder. I shook it off and ran out the door.

I flew quickly to the bridge, hoping that what I thought she was doing was not true. It was raining and foggy, so I could barely see in front of me. I found her standing on the edge of the high bridge, and she must've heard me walking through the rain, because she turned around. "Jace, I'm sorry." Then, she jumped off the bridge, diving straight for the raging waters below.

I ran to the edge and jumped off after her. Falling through the sky, I had one thought: I might die too. I didn't know if I would live, but I had to try to save her.

**Cliffhanger (: Review, maybe? **


	7. Chapter 7

**This one's for Sammyantha and Kylie, because of the D.C. bus ridee! Love you guys! ) Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride...**

As soon as I hit the water, I almost regretted jumping in. My leg had hit a rock and it hurt like crazy. I swam around a bit, and finally I saw Piper. She was floating on her back, her eyes shut and her skin pale. I swam quickly toward her, and grabbed her around the waist. Blood was flowing from her body, but I couldn't find where it was coming from. I swam until we reached the shore, and I laid Piper's limp body on the rocks. "Piper, don't be dead, please," I murmured under my breath. Finding a faint pulse on her wrist, I almost rejoiced until I found a long cut on her forehead. I started to cry. There was almost nothing I could do, so I tore a strip of fabric off of my shirt and held it to her forehead, trying to stop the bleeding. I sat there for easily ten minutes, watching the river ripple.

Then, I heard a car door shut behind me. Turning around with tears still streaming down my cheeks, I saw Bree rushing down the bank. "What happened? Why are you both soaking wet?" I shook my head and she wiped the tears off my cheeks. "Come on, we have to get Piper to a hospital. She can't bleed like that for much longer." Bree said that quietly, knowing I would object. The terrors that we had been through in the School would be too much for us to even set foot in a hospital again. But I had to save Piper, and if that's what it took, that's what would happen.

I carried Piper to Bree's truck, and climbed into the back. Laying Piper's head on my lap, I set my head against the cold truck window and watched the scenery go by. "Bree, I really don't think the hospital's a good idea."

"Well, would you rather her die?" Bree asked in a shrill voice.

"No, of course not. But, Bree, you have to know we're deathly afraid of hospitals. I mean, that's implied right? And what are they going to do when they find out she has wings, hmm?" I mumble, hoping Bree would see reason.

"Jace, hun, I can't treat her at home, and I really don't want her to die. I know that would break your heart," she said simply. I sighed and looked down at Piper. She still looked pale and lifeless. I brushed my lips against her forehead and her eyes fluttered open.

With a small smile on my face, I murmured, "Hey, Piper."

"Where am I?" she muttered, still lying motionless on my lap.

"In Bree's car. We have to take you to the hospital. You have a bad cut on your head, and…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm so sorry, Jace," she whispered, looking up into my eyes. "I shouldn't have done that. Wait…how did you get me out?"

"I jumped in after you," I said quietly. "I wasn't going to let you die." Piper closed her eyes.

"I feel so stupid," she whispered, her chest moving up and down slightly.

"Piper, just calm down. They can fix you up at the hospital," I whisperer. She was silent the rest of the way, and that kind of worried me, but I tried not to freak out.

When we arrived in the parking lot, I carried Piper out of the car and into the hospital. The lady at the desk rushed up to us as soon as we made it in the door. "What happened to her?" she said, breathless.

"Long story. Can you treat her or not?" I breathed harshly. I wasn't in the mood to explain just yet, Piper needed serious help. Soon, some nurses came in with a stretcher and rolled Piper away, leaving me and Bree in the waiting room. I was nervous as hell, and then a doctor came out.

"Are you the bird girl's….friends?" he asked.

Glaring, I said, "Yes."

"Come with me. I have some questions for you." I nodded my head and followed him, Bree not far behind, through the hospital to a small, office-like room. He nodded to some seats and I sat down. Bree stood at the door, looking nervous.

"Bree, sit, please," I muttered. She walked over slowly and sat in a chair right next to mine. The doctor approached us.

"So," he began, and something in me snapped.

"Don't ask too many questions. I'm not going to answer most of them. And Bree here knows next to nothing about us," I said in a harsh tone.

"So, do any of you have wings?" he asked, completely ignoring my comment.

"I do," I said, standing up and snapping my wings out as proof. The man's eyes went wide, and so did Bree's. I don't remember ever showing her my wings.

"Okay," he said, making some notes in a folder.

"Mister, I am not a science experiment. You better not take notes on me," I snapped, fed up with everyone treating me like a freak of nature. It was bad enough to be one, I didn't need any reminders.

"I'm…I'm sorry, sir," the doctor said, fumbling with the folder and then putting it into a desk. "Do you have any other…abilities? Can you actually fly with the wings?"

I answered his questions as he threw them at me for well more than ten minutes. Bree sat in a chair, listening and nodding. Then, I snapped at him, "That's enough. When can I see Piper? Is she okay?"

"She's recovering fairly well, and you can see her now." I stood up and followed him out the door. Bree didn't come with me, and that made me curious. But, whatever. I was going to see Piper.

When we got to the room, Piper was sitting up in her bed, looking out the window. She turned to me and a big smile broke out on her face. "I'll leave you two alone," the doctor murmured, walking out the door. I went to go sit next to her on the bed, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her.

"Jace," she whispered, and then she pushed her lips against mine. When she pulled away, she laid her head on my shoulder and I started to stroke her back.

"Piper, are you okay?" I whispered, and she nodded.

"Just…tired. And everything hurts." She looked up at me with sad eyes and I leaned closer to her. "Jace, you should go home. They said I'll be out by tomorrow, and I don't want you to have to sleep in my hospital room because I was stupid." When I opened my mouth to refuse, she put her finger to my lips. "Please, Jace? Take Bree and go home." I nodded helplessly as she brushed her lips against my forehead. "Thanks," she whispered as the doctor came in the room, flanked by Bree.

"Um, sir, I think you should be leaving now," he muttered and I nodded. Not looking back, I walked out of the room, following Bree.

When we arrived outside, Bree sat on a bench near the door. After I sat down next to her, she asked me, "Is Piper okay?"

"Yeah," I murmured back. "As okay as she will ever be."

Looking confused, Bree asked quietly, "So what happened at the bridge? I really don't think she just fell off…" Bree trailed off, and I know she knew exactly what happened, so I didn't feel the need to elaborate. Wiping a tear from my eye, I nodded to a café across the street.

"Why don't we get a bite to eat?" I muttered, trying to get my mind on something else.

"Sounds good," she said, standing up and offering her hand to me. Taking it, we started the journey across the street.

Bree trailed a bit behind me, and then suddenly let go of my hand. Looking back, she had stopped in the middle of the street.

"Bree, what are you doing?" I called out, a little worried. But I kept walking, because I was in the middle of the street. Suddenly, Bree screamed.

"Jace, watch out!" She rushed back to me and pushed me out of the way, toward the sidewalk. I fell onto the sidewalk, and right as I looked back up at Bree, a car came out of nowhere and hit her. She flew forward and fell to the ground, her body limp.

"Bree!" I screamed, and ran out to her. I pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and tried to revive her. She wouldn't move, and I only found a faint pulse. Soon, there were people flooding out of the hospital and loading her onto a stretcher. They ushered me back into the waiting room, where I sat for a long time until another doctor came out.

"How's she doing?" I choked out, looking up at the doctor.

"Not good," he muttered back. "She's in surgery right now. Would you like to stay here or go home?" I asked if I could go to Piper's room, and he led me to it.

As soon as I stepped into her room, tears started to stream down my face.

"Oh, Jace, what's wrong?" Piper said when I started crying. "Come over here." I respected her wish and went to sit on her bed for the second time that day. She asked again, "Jace, what's wrong?" She held out her arms and I sank into them.

Soon, I told her. "Someone hit Bree with a car. She's in surgery right now. They…they don't know if she will live." Piper's eyes widened, and I had no clue what she was thinking. I knew they didn't particularly like each other.

"Jace, I'm so sorry," she said, clutching me to her chest. After I sat up again, she reached a shaking hand to my face and wiped away my tears.

I leaned back against her again, and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do if she dies. She's always been there for me, and Piper, I don't want to be alone."

"Jace," she whispered into my ear as she scooted closer to me, "you won't be alone. You have me, remember?" I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Piper, you don't understand. She's like a sister to me or something. I've known her forever, and if she dies…I seriously won't have any family." Tears started to run down my cheeks again.

Piper moved closer, and started to play with my hair. "Jace, you will have me. I promise I won't leave you alone," she whispered into my ear.

"Piper, you don't understand!" I insisted. I had no clue how to explain to her what Bree was to me, but I tried. Soon, she put her lips on mine again, and I took that as a sign to shut up.

Then, she was sitting on my lap, pulled close to me. I had stopped crying, and she was giggling about something I had said when the doctor came in.

"Ahem, I'm sorry for breaking up your…party, but your friend isn't doing well. I wanted to see if you wanted to…see her?" Looking at his face, I could tell something was wrong. I didn't know what, but I needed to see her.

I looked back at Piper, and she whispered, "If you go, I'm coming with you." I shook my head, and she said, "Please?"

**Not the best, but I'll be back soon. People have just been pestering me. So, review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it is, took forever. And if it's too short, I'm sorry. BTW, I don't own Max Ride. I'm kinda getting tired of saying that.**

I looked down at Piper. Curious, I asked, "Why?"

"Jace, she basically saved my life, and she means a lot to you. I can see that." She looked up into my eyes, and I could see that she really meant it.

"Fine," I whispered, helping her out of bed. The doctor unhooked her from the machines she was on, and we followed him out, hand in hand.

Right before we went into Bree's room, as we stood outside the closed door, Piper leaned up and pressed her lips against mine quickly. "Ready?" I whispered, smiling down at her.

"Ready," she whispered, grabbing my hand as I opened the door.

We walk into the room, and there lied Bree, pale and almost lifeless, except for the slight up and down movement of her chest. The small smile Piper had put on my face was gone. Bree's face was bruised and scraped up, and one of her arms was wrapped in some sort of bandage. A blanket covered her legs, so I couldn't tell if there was any damage to them. My grip on Piper's hand tightened dramatically, and she stared at me. "Babe, I'm fine," I whispered, and she nodded. We closed the gap between us and Bree's bed, and her eyes opened a bit.

"J…Jace?" she asked in a raspy voice, and I nodded.

"How are you doing?" I asked, moving a bit closer to the bed.

"Oh, just great," she said, with her usual sarcasm. "Looks like your girl's doing better. That's…good." Bree looks up at us and I can see the hurt in her eyes. We stood there, speechless until Piper cleared her throat. I looked at her and she started to look…pale. Not as pale as Bree, granted, but still.

"Bree, I want to say thank you," Piper said quietly, and Bree looked at her, confused.

"What?" she finally murmured.

"Hey, you saved my life."

Bree stared at her for a while, and then got out, "Well, I couldn't let Jace's girl die, now could I? He'd be all over me." A small smile appeared on Bree's face, and soon Piper was smiling too.

Then, Piper squeaked, "Jace?" I looked over, and she was as pale as a ghost.

I grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, "I got you." I walked her to the door, and then heard a choked sob come from behind us. So, as soon as we were to the doctor at the door, I asked him to take Piper back to her room and turned to face Bree again.

I dragged a chair over to her bedside, and whispered, "God Bree, this is my fault. I'm so sorry." I placed my hand on her cheek, and she winced. "Oh, I'm such an idiot! I'm sorry."

I started to pull my hand away, and she grasped it with her good one. "Jace, stop thinking it's your fault! Baby, I do love you, and I know you love that girl that just walked out. I'm okay with that. I'll find someone, or when you two break up, I'll still be waiting for you. Nothing right now is your fault unless your girl's crying in her bed right now, and you should go check on her." She nodded to the door, and I stared at her, speechless. "Go. I'll be fine, I swear."

I nodded, and then said, "Bree, I love you too. Just…in a different way than with Piper. And I think Piper needs me."

"Jace, you're totally right. Now go be that girl's Superman," she said with a smile.

"God, Bree, have you always been a sucker for love stories?" I said with a smile as I stood up.

"Yup, you of all people should know that. Now go get her!" she said, returning my smile.

I stood up and walked out, and I ran into a doctor at the door.

"She didn't tell you, did she?" he muttered, looking annoyed.

"Tell me what?" I asked quietly. I was worried, and he led me to another freaking office.

"Jace, Bree is …paralyzed."

"Paralyzed?" I choked out. "But she was moving her arms and head and everything!"

"From the waist down, she can't move. We don't know if its permanent, but it looks so."

"I did this to her," I murmur, and the doctor looks at me strangely.

"Do you want to go back to the other girl's room?"

"No, I want to go back to Bree's. I want to ask why she didn't tell me."

"Jace, she needs her rest. She was seriously injured."

"Fine, take me to Piper's room," I muttered, fed up with the doctor. He led me through a maze of hallways, and when I got to Piper's room he nodded at the door.

"Go in," he murmured, so I opened the door, and then slammed it in the guy's face.

"Jace!" Piper said, surprised. "What…? Oh. Someone told you, didn't they?"

"What do you mean?" I spat, and she shook her head.

"The doctor that led me back told me about Bree's…condition."

"So, you knew before I did?" I said, looking at her.

"Jace, come here," she whispered, and I noticed she still looked pale. I made my way over to the bed, and sat down on the edge. She wrapped her arms around me, and I sank back into them. She kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"I'm tearing everyone's lives apart, aren't I?" I muttered, tears running down my face.

"No, no, Jace, don't say that! You're the best thing that's happened to me." She tucked her head into my neck.

"Baby, I don't want to ruin everyone's lives. I basically took Bree's life, and you jumped off a bridge because of me!"

"Jace," she murmured, her head still tucked away.

"Yes?" I said, starting to stroke her hair.

"Don't be like that, please," she says sweetly, and I kiss her forehead.

"I'll try," I whisper. "Now just go to sleep, you need your rest." I laid her down in her bed, and she looked up at me.

"Good night, Jace," she murmured, her eyes already closing. I lay down on the small couch and listened to her slow breathing, letting tears fall silently down my cheeks.

Too soon I heard Piper's voice in my ear again. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" she said, and I sat up.

"Hey," I muttered, still half asleep.

"They said I can leave the hospital…" she said, trailing off.

"That's great!"

"Yea, one problem: where are we going to go?"

**Cliffhanger, I guess...(: review?**


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